Do You Clean Up Your Dog’s Pee In Public Places?

This question may sound silly to ask since there isn’t any public toilet designed for dogs and I’d be insanely insane to suggest you bring along a pee mopper (if there’s one in the market) whenever you and your dog go out for a walk. So, rest assure that the following suggestions won’t be anywhere this ridiculous or impossible to attain.

Nature call for lampposts and fire hydrants. Cartoon images of dogs cocking their legs at fire hydrants are so stereotypical that on some levels, we understand how accurately they reflect reality. Dogs, especially un-neutered males, instinctively pee in as many places as they can so that other dogs know they’ve been there.

Even perfectly trained females and neutered males will have moments on walks when they simply need to toilet, whether you like it or not. When a dog’s gotta go, it’s gotta go. Unless it’s called for, it would be “cruel” to put a pet diaper (i.e. diarrhea) or a belly band or panty (i.e. leaky issue or heat) on your dog every time he or she leaves the house just so that he or she doesn’t take a leak in public!

Does Your Dog Pee All Over In Wrong Places?

It’d be ideal that your dog is toilet-trained so that when he needs to pee on a walk, he naturally does so on grass verges or old newspaper that you carry with you. Most folks can accept dogs peeing on grass or at the foot of shrubs and trees (of course, besides their own!). However, they may not be so happy if your dog pees a huge puddle into the middle of a baseball field, or on their gateposts, driveways, or the pavement just outside their homes. So train your dog to lift its leg (or squat, as the case may be) only where there’s grass and soil to absorb the liquid. Always stick to grassy patches and keep your dog from tinkling solid ground or objects.

Cleaning Up Your Dog’s Pee

Having said that, I fully understand that accidents do happen even with the best intention. Should your dog “misses” and urinated the concrete area in front of your neighbor’s house, it may be safer to bring along a small gardening spritzer filled with water*, so that you can at least dilute the urine, if not wash it away.

* Recipe for Homemade Odor Remover: The ratio would be 2 parts vinegar to 10 parts water.

This may not be the most effective odor remover recipe but it serves its basic purpose—preventing other dogs from marking over it. And if you feel guilty for not doing more, you could always invest in a bottle of Out Spot! Stain and Odor Removers or any enzymatic cleaner. It’s a common courtesy to treat others property as you would treat your own.

The spritzer also comes in handy at times when your dog’s urine is more watery than usual and some dribbles onto tiles or concrete. Squirt off as much as you can, move on quickly, and finally pray hard for rain afterwards!